Refrigeration



Jan; 24, 1939. A. R THOMAS' 2,145,063 REFRIGERATION FiledJune 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR M@ @ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED ,sinistres .PATENT OFFICE REmGEaA'rloN Albert R.. Thomas, Evansville, Ind., assignor to Servel, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Appucation June a, 1931, 4serial No. 147,183

Claims. (Cl. (i2-103) My invention relates 'to refrigeration with a system having intermittent periods of refrigeration and it is an object of the invention to provide The invention, together with the objects and.

advantages thereof, is set 'forth with particularity in the following description and accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication and of which: Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator with the door removed and partly in vertical section illustrating more or less schematically one embodiment of the invention; l y Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 in Fig. 1

with the refrigerator door in place:

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 in Fig. 1; and 30 Fig. 4 is a. diagrammatic view of a simple intermittent absorption refrigerating system.

Referring brieily to Fig. 4, an intermittent absorption refrigeration system comprises a generator-absorber I0, a condenser II, and an evapfrigerator storage compartment I3 and v`is connected to the-condenser II by a conduit I4. The condenser II- is connected by a conduit I5 to the generator-absorber Il. 'Ihe generator-absorber III is heated by a suitable heating means such as a gas burner I6. The system contains asuitable refrigerant fluid such as ammonia and a suitable absorbent such as water and is hermetically sea1ed. 'Ihe absorbentis contained in thegenerator-absorber II. `When the 'heater I6 is turned on, refrigerant vapor is expelled from the absorbent and flows through conduit I5 into the condenser II.

vapor is -liquefled'and the liquid flows intol the evaporator I2. This period is variously referred to as a heating period, high pressure period, or generating period. No refrigeration is produced during this period. When the heater I6 is turned o, the generator-absorber Il cools and absorption of refrigerant vapor into the weakened aborator I2. The evaporator I2 is located in a're- In the condenser, refrigerant sorbent takes place. The

resulting lowering of pressure causes evaporation of refrigerant liquid in the evaporator I2,producin'g a refrigeratng period is variously known period, refrigerating period,

I2 is at a low temperature.

in the refrigerator, the evaporator I2 is operated `effect in the refrigerator compartment I3. This as the low pressure or absorption period. During the low 'pressure period, the evaporator A If ice is to be frozen at a. temperature below freezing during the low pressure period. The lowest temperature of the evaporator is obtained during the first part of the low pressure period and thetemperature gradually rises until' the next low pressure period is reached. It has been propo over in `connection with the sed to provide a holdevaporator to cool air in the refrigerator compartment I3 during the high pressure periods. Such holdover may be a brine or alcohol solution to be frozen during the low pressure or refrigerating period. The freez ing temperature of a brine or alcohol solution is the highest at :the beginning of the low pressure period while the lowest temperature of the evaporator'is obtained during the `firstl part of this period. Therefore, a hold -over of this nature gives a more constant cooling, but retards rapid recovery of box temperature at the start of the cordance with my invention I make use of the cycling feature rather refrigerating period. In ac than try toeliminate the effect.

' Referring to Figs. l, 2, and 3, the evaporator I2 is located in the upper part of a thermally insulated storage compartment I3 of a refrigerator cabinet I1. The evaporator I2 is connected by shown, having intermittent conduit I4 to a suitable refrigeration system, not

refrigerating periods as described in connection with Fig. 4. The evaporator I2 has no brinev tank or other espe- 'cially provided hold-over.

Below the evaporator I2 is a ,trough I8 having a downward spout I v9. Below the lower end of the spout I9 is a vessel having a slightly peaked top 2l and an upward ledge 22 forming a shallow The vessel 20 may be secured inplace by any suittray with the top 2l.

able means such as brackets 23. The front end of the vessel 2li is open for access thereto when the refrigerator door Zlis open and adapted to be closed by a'gasket 2l on the insidev of the refrigerator door-25 when the -latter is closed.

A plate forms a shallow passage 21 for upward ilow of air in the rear of the refrigerator p compartment I3 from the space below the bottom of vessel 20 to the upper part of the refrigerator compartment.

During operation -of the above described re- 2 arcanes frigerator, the evaporator l2 will cease to absorb heat during each high pressure or generating period of the refrigeration apparatus. During this time frost formed on the evaporator i2 during the preceding refrigerating period will cool the air and melt. Melting of ice cubes during this time is usually not appreciable if .the ice tray coxrlpartments 28 are enclosed. Water formed by melting of frost from the evaporator l2 drips into the trough I 8 and flows through the funnel i9 into the shallow tray on the top of the vessel 2o. This shallow tray on the top of the vessel 2li covers the entire horizontal area of the refrigerator storage compartment I3 except for passages at the rear and sides for air circulation. During the next low pressure or refrigerating periodv of the refrigeration apparatus, air ows downward over the evaporator I2 and then over the large surface area of water in-the drain tray. Air which is dried in contact with the evaporator l2 is re-humidied by evaporation of water in the drain tray into the dry air.

The closed vessel 20 provides a humid chamber for storage of vegetables and the like. The evaporation of water from the drain tray on the top of vessel 20 causes cooling of this humid compartment. This cooling makes possible a large humid compartment of which the cooling might otherwise be too slow. l

Circulation of air in the refrigerator compartment I3 is upward at the rear of the compartment through passage 21 and then downward over the evaporator I2 and the wide drain tray. 'I'he bale plates 29, 30 cause the air to flow from' the center outward over the drainv tray and may also be used as shelves. The evaporator I2 being in the upper part of the compartment"l3, ilow of air is caused by natural effect of gravity due to cooling of the air by the evaporator.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention which is not limited-as described in the foregoing part of the specification and the accompanying drawings but onlyl as indicated in the following claims.

What is claimed is: I

1. In a refrigerator having a thermally insulated compartment and a refrigeration system having intermittent periods of refrigeration and including a coolingv element in said compartment,

-a shallow receptacle located beneath said cooling element and extending over a major portion of the horizontal area of said compartment, said cooling element being located in the upper part of said compartment so that air is' caused to ow downward over said cooling element andreceptacle by natural effect of gravity due to cooling of air' by said cooling element, and water which is melted from said cooling element and collected in said receptacle intermediate the refrigerating periods of said system beingV evaporated from said receptacle into air ,dried by said cooling element. during the refrigerating periods of said system,

and a closed compartment for vegetables or the like inthermal exchange relation with said receptacle for cooling by evaporation of water from said receptacle.

a shallow receptacle located beneath said coolingv element and extending over a major portion of the horizontal area of said compartment, said cooling element being operated at temperatures alternately above and below the freezing point of water, and said cooling element being located in the upper part of said compartment so that air is caused to flow downward over said cooling-element and receptacle by natural effect of gravity due to cooling of air by said element, and water which is meltedfrom said cooling element and collected in said receptacle when the temperature of said cooling element is above the freezing temperature of water being evaporated from said receptacle into air dried by said cooling element when the temperature of said element is below the freezing temperature of water, and a closed compartment for vegetables or the like in thermal exchange relation with said receptacle for cooling by evaporation of the water from said receptacle.

'3. A method of refrigeration which includes causing circulation of air within an enclosure to be refrigerated, intermittently cooling said air and causing removal of water from the air by formation of frost, alternately cooling the air by melting of'said frost, retaining water in contact with the air over a major portion of the horizontal area of Vsaid enclosure and invthermal exchange relation with a second enclosure to humidify air in said first enclosure which is dehydrated during the periods of frost formation and cool air inl formation ofvfrost, alternately cooling the air by melting of said frost, and retaining 'water formed by melting of the frost in contact withvthe air over a major portion of the horizontal area of said enclosure and in thermal exchange relation with a second enclosure to humidify air in said rst enclosure which is dehydrated during the periods of. frost formation and-to cool air in said second enclosure.

5. In a refrigerator having a storage compartment and an intermittent refrigeration system including a cooling element in said compartment, a receptacle for water located beneath said cooling element and extending over a major portion of the horizontal area of said compartment, said cooling. element being located in the upper part of said compartment so that air is caused to ow downward over said cooling element and receptacle by natural effect of gravity due to cooling of4 air by said cooling element, and water in said receptacle being evaporated into air dried by said cooling element during the refrigerating periods of said intermittent system, and a closed com-- partment for vegetables or the like in thermal exchange relation with said receptacle for cooling by evaporation of water from said receptacle.

ALBERT R. THOMAS. y

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